Rushing in Blindly
by Little Minamino
Summary: After taking a hit for both Sasuke and Naruto, Hinata and Sakura are lying in the hospital in critical condition. NaruHina SasuSaku complete
1. chapter 1

Rushing in Blindly

Sasuke glared blankly at the machine next to him as if daring it to stop beeping. Content that it would not falter; Sasuke turned his softened gaze to the unconscious form of his pink haired teammate. Her skin was pail but it still glowed with life even if that glow was beginning to dim. Sasuke shook his head. He would not permit such thoughts in to his mind. She would be alright. She had to be.

…..He couldn't face the pain of loss again.

Four weeks ago

"Sasuke-kun! Ohayo!"

Sasuke sighed as he spotted Sakura rushing towards him while waving her hands wildly in the air in attempt to get his attention.

"Beautiful day isn't it Sasuke-kun?" she asked breathlessly as she came to a stop just a few steps away form where he stood leaning against the bridges railing. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were sparkling brightly from the exercise. Sasuke just rolled his eyes and looked away. "Hn."

Sakura's happy glow faded a bit, but before she had a chance to respond their last team member came racing up to them yelling out loudly. "OHAYO SAKURA-CHAN!"

"Be quiet you baka! Your to loud!" Sakura shouted in response as she allowed her fist to come crashing down on his head.

"ITAI! Sakura-chan that hurt." Naruto wined.

"Humph. You deserved it you baka." Was Sakura's only response.

A few hours later team seven was finally beginning to show signs of irritation. Even Sasuke.

"He's later than usual," Sasuke commented dully.

"He probably just wanted to sleep in, that lazy pervert!" Naruto shouted angrily, unknowingly waking the sleeping Sakura.

"Naruto you jerk! I was asleep!" she shouted as she jumped up and began to pummel the poor boy.

"WAI! Gomen Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed giving it no thought at all that she was acting very awake for some one who had just been asleep.

"Ohayo Mina-san," Kakashi said as he suddenly appeared in front of his team. Immediately Sakura's abuse of her teammate stopped and both the abuser and the abused turned to face their sensei simultaneously. "YOUR LATE!" they shouted.

"Ah, gomen." Kakashi began, "You see there was this old lady that…" he didn't get to finish.

"LIAR!"

Kakashi sweat dropped. "Well anyway, I've received your mission from Hokage-sama."

Once again he was interrupted. "Is it really cool! Do we get to leave the village! Do we get to fight! Is it an A-rank mission!" Naruto asked in excitement until Sakura's fist once again made it's way onto his skull. "Itai!"

"Be quiet baka and let Kakashi-sensei finish!"

Naruto pouted as he rubbed his sore head.

"Now as I was saying, Hokage-sama thinks that you all aren't prepared enough for real fights, so she has decided to send you all on a training mission."

"That's it?" Naruto asked sullenly.

"Not quite," Kakashi answered. "In this mission you all have to make it to a shrine at the edge of the fire country where there will be a set of scrolls. Each team must get a scroll and make it back here without being disqualified by the training Nins."

"…COOL!" Naruto shouted as he began to bounce around. "When do we leave?"

Kakashi smirked under his mask. "As soon as your last teammate gets here."

His three students stared at him blankly until Sakura finally broke the silence. "Huh?"

"Last team mate?" Naruto asked in confusion before he turned to count how many people were here. "But Kakashi-sensei, we're all here already. Who are we waiting for?"

As if on cue a timid voice came from behind the three chunins. "O-oha-yo m-mina-s-san."

"Hinata? Why are you here?"

"She is going to be your forth member on this mission."

Present day

"Hey Sasuke," came a familiar voice from the door way behind him. "How is she?"

Sasuke took a deep breath before he responded. "Same." He turned to face his blond friend. "How's Hinata?"

Naruto sighed sadly, all traces of his normally happy attitude gone in the crushing weight of the current situation. "No change," he answered. "I'm only here cause the nurse kicked me out while she did her rounds."

Sasuke nodded not trusting himself to speak as he turned back to Sakura's limp form.

"Why did they do it?" Naruto asked bitterly. "Why didn't they run! They would have been alright! They wouldn't be here! So WHY!"

Sasuke said nothing. He knew the answer of course, but that didn't make it any less painful. What was the answer? Easy.

"Because they loved us."

The start of the mission

The three teams stood just outside of Konoha's gate waiting impatiently for the mission to begin.

"You all have three weeks to complete this mission. If you are not back by then you fail and a search team will be sent for you." Tsunade said as she looked at the gathered teams of four. "Watch out for each other, and good luck." She paused for a moment as all of the chunins got in position. "BEGIN!" All of the teams disappeared in a flash, each making their way towards the fire country's Nin shrine.

Team seven moved along easily, having no problems in dispatching the training Nins that were sent their way. A week into their journey and they where already almost at the hidden shrine.

"There are sure to be a bunch of Nins at the shrine already," Sakura said, finally breaking the comfortable silence that had settled over their camp. "They've probably set up traps too."

Sasuke was quiet as he tossed another log onto the fire. "What do you suggest?"

At first Sakura was surprised by his question but quickly set it aside as she began to think.

Hinata sighed contentedly as she sat with her new, temporary, team around the fire smiling softly as they waited for Sakura to come up with a strategy.

"Ne, ne, Hinata-chan," Naruto asked happily. "What'cha think'n about huh?"

Hinata blushed brightly at being addressed by her crush, "No-nothing really N-Naruto-kun."

Naruto's smile seemed to dim a bit. "Oh." He paused for a moment before. "Ne, Hinata-chan. Do you have a crush on any one?"

Hinata almost fell over with shock at the unexpected question. "W-why do you ask N-Naruto-k-kunn?" Hinata stuttered as she tried to avoid the question.

Naruto scrunched up his nose in thought. 'Why do I care?' he asked himself in confusion before he shook his head and responded. "Just curios I guess. Well?"

Hinata blushed as she mumbled something Naruto couldn't hear. "Ne Hinata-chan. What did you say?"

Hinata's blush grew deeper but she repeated herself anyhow. "Y-y-yes-s-s."

"Really?" Naruto asked, suddenly feeling a strange sense of loss. "What's he like?"

Hinata was trapped. She couldn't lie to Naruto but she didn't want to tell him the truth yet either.

"Well?"

"A-ano…. He-he's brave and st-strong, a-and he is alw-ways very happy. Ano…he always s-stands up f-for his beliefs a-and his friends a-and he h-helps me f-feel st-stronger. I-I r-really ad-ad-mi-er h-him." Hinata finished softly, almost in audibly.

Naruto felt crushed. 'Why do I feel like I just lost my whole world?' "He sounds like a really great guy Hinata-chan. I hope he feels the same about you." Is what he said when what he really wanted to do was go tear the guy limb-from-limb.

Their conversation, much to Hinata's relief, was cut short by Sakura's triumphant exclamation. "I have an idea!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto had left as soon as he was allowed back in Hinata's room, his concern for the Hyuuga heir overwhelming all of he senses. Sasuke sighed as he diverted his gaze from the girl in front of him to float around the room. He knew that the nurse would be here soon to check up on Sakura and that she would make him leave so he stood up to streach his muscles before he was asked to step out.

The monitors went crazy.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sakura's plan had gone off without a hitch and the four chunins contentedly started on their way back to Konoha. Night fell and once again the four found themselves sitting around a small campfire. This time it was Sasuke who spoke first. "Good job Sakura." He said without even looking at her.

Sakura blushed under her crush's praise. "Arigato Sasuke-kun, but I really didn't do all that much."

Sasuke snorted.

"I-I ag-gree with S-Sasuke-san, a-after all th-those training Nins w-were jonins a-and they d-didn't even n-notice us." Hinata added.

Sakura's blush deepened. "Arigato, but we should really be thanking Shikamaru. After all, if he hadn't been teaching me to play go and shogi I wouldn't have thought of it."

Sasuke's head snapped over in Sakura's direction sharply. "What do you mean? When have you been playing go with Shikamaru?"

Sakura looked at him, her face a little puzzled. "Um, everyday after training, why?"

Sasuke growled unconsciously at the thought of her spending time alone with a boy. A boy that wasn't him. 'What the hell! Where did that thought come from!' he asked himself in barely concealed shock.

"Sasuke-kun? Are you alright?"

"Fine." He growled and Sakura let it drop.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sasuke starred in numb shock as the machines around him began to shriek loudly signaling Sakura's fading life. Doctors rushed in as well as the fifth herself, each rushing around taking down notes and doing their best to save the young life placed in their hands.

One of the nurses accidentally ran into Sasuke sending him slightly off balance. "Oh! I'm sorry young man but you are going to have to leave." She said as she tried to push him out of the room.

"Like hell! I'm not leaving this room!" he shouted in anger and fear.

The nurse opened her mouth to argue but another high-pitched squeal cut her off. Sakura's heart monitor flat lined.

And Sasuke's world crumbled.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Four days out side of Konoha they were attacked again. None of them paid any real close attention to their opponents, that is, until Sakura nearly had a kunai thrust into her heart. Sasuke had only just made it to her side in time to pull her away from the fatal blow, the kunai scratching her arm as she was pulled to safety.

"What the hell is your problem!" Sasuke yelled at the Nin. "You could have killed her! What the hell kind of training Nin are you!"

The Nin in front of him chuckled maniacally. "Training Nin? Ha! More like assassin."

Sasuke was about to respond until he saw the hatai-ate tied around the Nins forehead. It had the mist symbol on it; only it had been sliced through by a kunai. 'A missing Nin?' Sasuke asked himself in confusion as he once again dodged another blow, dragging Sakura along with him.

Casting aside his confusion, Sasuke yelled out a warning. "Naruto! They're missing Nins! Kill them!"

"Right!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sasuke sat curled up in an empty corner of the room as he watched the doctors continue their work on Sakura. His eyes were blank and haunted as he watched Tsunade-sama back up with an empty smile on her face. The monitor was once again beeping telling him that Sakura hadn't left. That she was still with him, and yet he there he sat unmoving. As if he thought that a mere twitch of his finger would send his cherry blossom careening into the inescapable clutches of death. Slowly, painfully so, he stood and inched his way to the pail girls bedside.

The doctors parted allowing him access to do so. They flinched at the haunted, vulnerable, look on the boy's face. They doubted that anyone had seen the Uchiha heir look so human in years. The watched quietly as he kneeled next to Sakura's body. Tsunade bit her lip in order to hold back the tears that threatened to break loose as Sasuke reached out to touch the pink haired girl. First her neck, then her wrist checking for a pulse, followed by her mouth making sure that she was breathing, but when he lowered his ear to her chest and heard her heart beating nothing could stop the dam of tears from breaking loose and joining the ones that Sasuke was shedding on Sakura's sheets.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It wasn't long before the four of them ended up back to back, doing their best to ward off their many, many attackers. "What do we do?" Sakura asked in fear as she bit her lip in order to ward of her terrified tears.

Sasuke was quiet even as he mentally flinched at hearing the tears in her shaky voice.

"You'll have to run for it," He finally answered. "Naruto and I can hold them off long enough for the two of you to get away."

"HELL NO!" Both girls yelled out in protest.

"Don't argue!" Naruto snapped ignoring Hinata's sudden out of characteness. "There's no way in hell I'm gonna let two of the most important people in my life get killed!"

"Naruto's right," Sasuke added. "We'll clear you a path. Now get out of here!"

"But…"

"NOW!" both boys shouted as one.

Sakura and Hinata couldn't help but shed a tear as they leapt into the trees.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"SASUKE!" Naruto shouted as he ran through the halls even as he made sure that the treasure in his arms was safe and protected. "SASUKE!"

Sasuke's head slowly came up off of Sakura's chest, tears still blurring his vision. Naruto threw open the door to Sakura's room with one hand as he clutched his precious bundle close with the other. Sasuke looked at Naruto in shock as his friend stood in the doorway with an awake and alert Hinata held protectively in his grasp.

"She-she's ok Sasuke," Naruto whispered as tears poured down his face. "Hinata's ok."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sasuke and Naruto starred in shock as both Sakura and Hinata coughed out a disturbing amount of blood. The boys, though numb, still managed to catch the two as they fell backwards each with about a dozen of poisoned kunai lodged in various points of their bodies.

Naruto's eyes were wide and pained as he watched Hinata smile up at him with the last of her strength. Brokenly she managed to whisper one last thing to him before her body collapsed. "I'm g-gla-d t-that you-r al-alright, Na-ru-to-k-kun."

Naruto held her close to him as tears began to fall from his eyes. He felt as if his heart had just been torn in two as he gently layed the girl onto the leaf covered ground. "You…..you MONSTERS!" Naruto shouted as his eyes began to turn an evil shade of orange. "I'll kill you!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sasuke could hardly believe that Hinata was awake and lying in Naruto's arms even though Sakura was still unconscious. Turning his eyes away from the two of them he watched as Sakura gave a ragged breath. His mind turned bitter. Bitter at the fact that Hinata was well while at the same time Sakura was getting worse. It wasn't that he wished that Hinata was dying of course. He was just angry that Naruto had his flower back while his was still wavering.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

In the wake of their rage, none of the Nins stood a chance against either one of the boys and all were quickly disposed of. Carefully the two of them removed the kunai from the girls' fading bodies before they picked them up. Gathering chakura into their feet both boys took off in the direction of Konoha cutting a four day trip down to a one and a quarter day all out sprint.

XXX

Kakashi looked up from his Icha Icha Paradise novel in surprise as he sensed his team and Hinata only a few minutes out side of the East Gate. "Well," he said as he put his book away. "I had better go and greet them!"

XXX

The senseis' smiling faces were immediately wiped away at the sight of Naruto's fox like appearance, and Sasuke's blood red sharingen. The two boys of team seven stopped in front of Tsunade instantly. They showed no signs that they had been running at all, in fact they looked as fresh as when they first left, aside from the fact that they looked half insane.

"Heal her," both demanded at once. "NOW!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The girls had been out for a week and a half before Hinata finally woke up, and in that time a squad of Anbu had been sent out to study the remains of the missing mist Nins, two search squads had been sent out for the remaining teams, and had returned with them.

Also the boys had never left the girls side except for when they were forced by Tsunade herself. They had spent most of their solitude thinking as they watched the machines keep the two girls alive and, miraculously, they had come to the same conclusion.

These girls were their world. If they died then they had absolutely nothing left to live for.

Naruto frowned sadly as he watched Sasuke hold Sakura's limp hand. He couldn't help but hold Hinata closer while he watched Sasuke painfully beg for Sakura to awaken. He didn't know how he would take it if he was in Sasuke's position. It was hard enough when they were both unconscious but now that Hinata was awake, he could only imagine what was going through his friends mind at this very moment.

Night fell and all three of them fell asleep in Sakura's room. Naruto on a chair with Hinata resting on his lap and Sasuke on his knees with his upper half resting next to Sakura on her bed. Due to his position he was the first person to wake at Sakura's slight movement.

Sakura's hand twitched lightly and Sasuke's head shot up, instantly alert as he stared hard at the pink haired girl. Again her hand twitched, this time moving slightly over top of his own.

"Sakura?" he whispered, hardly daring to hope. As if summoned by his call, Sakura's eyes gently fluttered open only to be glazed over by concern as she watched tears gather in Sasuke's already red eyes.

"Sasuke-kun?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper. "Are you alright?"

Instead of answering, Sasuke just leaned over and caught her lips with his own.

End

Kaliea: yeah the ending sucks but it 1 o'clock in the morning. Please review. Ja

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto


	2. chapter 2

"Man!" Kiba whined loudly. "That was such a lame mission!"

Shino shrugged. "Well you can't expect training missions like the last one to happen every day. Then Konoha would never get any more mission requests."

"Yeah but why would they let us do a totally cool mission and then just as we're getting into it they call us back to do regular old D-rank missions? We're not even genins anymore and we're still doing grunt work!"

"K-Kiba-kun," Hinata began but whatever she had been about to say was abruptly cut off by a shout even more obnoxious than Kiba's whine.

"HINA-CHAAAAANNNN!"

Hinata blushed slightly as she caught sight of her orange clad….boyfriend? She wasn't really sure. After all, it wasn't like he ever said that they were "a couple". Shaking her head she erased her doubts just in time to greet him as he came to a stop in front of her, panting loudly. "K-konichiwa Na-Naruto-k-kun."

"Konichiwa Hina-chan!" Naruto responded as he sent her a bright foxy grin. Hinata nearly melted. "Ne! Ne! Do you want to go to the Ichiraku Raman bar with me?"

Hinata blushed deeper as the question began to break through her muddled thoughts. 'Naruto-kun wants me to get ramen with him? Like…like a……DATE?'

Naruto's grin started to fade as the moments flew past. Hinata noticed and her mind began screaming in panic. 'Do something stupid! He thinks you don't want to go!'

"I-I would l-love to g-go with you Naruto-k-kun," Hinata stuttered as she shyly looked away.

Naruto's grin returned full-force and Hinata felt as if she was melting into a pile of goo. "Really, Hina-chan!"

Hinata couldn't speak so she just nodded.

"YOSH!" Naruto yelled as he jumped up pumping his fist happily above his head. "Come on!" he exclaimed as he grabbed her hand. "Let's go!"

"H-Hai."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sakura laughed lightly as she clung to Sasuke's arm, trusting him to guide her way until he allowed her to remove the blind fold across her eyes. "Sasuke-kun," she giggled. "Where are we going?"

Sasuke smiled at her even though he knew she couldn't see. "I can't tell you, it's a surprise. Hold on a little longer. We're almost there."

Sakura beamed up in his general direction. "Alright," she replied. "I trust you."

"I know."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Konichiwa Kaoru-san!" Naruto greeted the ramen stand owner's daughter.

"Konichiwa, Naruto-kun," Kaoru ecoed with a smile. "The usual?"

"Hai, hai," Naruto answered. "But get me an extra miso for my girlfriend please!"

"Girlfriend?" the owner asked with a grin as he put the noodles on to boil.

"Hai, jii-san!" Naruto said as he pushed Hinata forward. "This is my girlfriend, Hinata-chan!"

Hinata blushed even as she smiled happily. Naruto called her his girlfriend!

"I see," the owner said thoughtfully until he gave her a teasing wink. "You take care of Naruto-kun for us alright?"

Hinata's blush deepened. "H-hai, jii-san." She stuttered as she gave a polite bow. "I w-will."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Finally Sasuke came to a stop. "Ok, Sakura, we're here."

Sakura could barely contain her excited curiosity as she carefully untied the blindfold from around her eyes. Blinking slightly she allowed her eyes time to adjust before she looked around. A gasp escaped her lips as she let her eyes roam around the grove of Sakura trees. Thousands of pink petals fell slowly, like snow, in the crisp spring air. "Sasuke-kun!" she gasped. "It's beautiful!"

Sasuke smiled. "I thought that you might like it."

"I love it!" Sakura exclaimed without looking at him, still trying to take in the site around her.

"Do you want it?"

The question caught Sakura off guard. "Huh?" She said as she turned to face the boy of her dreams. "What do you mean, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke swallowed nervously. 'Well, it's now or never.'

"This grove is a part of the Uchiha estate," He said. "Do you want it?"

"I still don't under….." Suddenly Sakura's eyes widened. She got it. After all, she wasn't called the smartest Konoichi in Konoha for nothing.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

After ramen Naruto asked if Hinata wanted to go for a walk through the park before he walked her home. Not wanting their date to end Hinata merely nodded silently and took his offered arm.

They walked in a comfortable silence until they came upon an old swing set that over looked the small pond a little ways away from the main park. "Ne Hina-chan," Naruto said, breaking the silence. "You want to swing?"

"O-ok."

So they sat down on the swings. Naruto on the left, and Hinata on the right, with both of their hands intertwining in the middle.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Sakura starred. "Sasuke…are you asking me…?"

Sasuke cleared his throat before he answered her. "I know that we're still young, but I also know that what I feel for you is real."

'I can't believe that I'm saying this….'

'I can't believe he's saying this….'

"I want everyone to know that your mine forever."

Sakura couldn't hold back the tears any longer as she watched him lower himself to one knee. "Sakura Haruno, will you marry me?" He asked, his voice nearly cracking with nerves.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"I really liked spending time with you today Hina-chan," Naruto said as he walked Hinata up to her door. "Maybe we can do it again tomorrow?"

Hinata smiled. "Hai, I'd…I'd like that."

"Great!" Naruto exclaimed before he swooped down and pressed his lips to her own. He pulled back after a moment, his face bright red. "See you then Hina-chan!"

Hinata starred after Naruto's fading figure in shock as she gently rested her finger tips on her slightly blushing lips. Her face exploded into a million shades of red. "H-h-hai!" she squeaked even though Naruto had already vanished from sight.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Sasuke was nervos. Yes he knew that Sakura loved him, and yes, he knew that he loved her back, but there was still the possibility that she would say no. After all they were only 14. It would be four years until they were old enough to get married, so why did he propose now? So no one else could take her first of course!

Sasuke began to sweat slightly. Two minutes had already passed and she was still starring at him in shock. Maybe she needed a little prompting?

"S-Sakura?"

"YES!" Sakura shouted. "Yes Sasuke-kun! I'll marry you!"

Now it was Sasuke's turn to be in shock. "R-Really?"

Sakura dropped to her knees in front of him so she could throw her arms around his neck. "Yes, really," she said quietly. "I love you, Sasuke-kun."

"I love you, too, Sakura-chan."

Sakura's eyes widened. That was the first time he had ever said that.

"Really?"

Sasuke didn't answer. Instead he just pressed his lips to hers in a kiss.

The End For Ever! Well, for this story anyway. Review!

Disclaimer: don't own it.

Review Answers:

Err normally I'd thank everyone personally but I have like 30 reviews for one chapter, so, instead, I'll just give every one a cookie! Here ya go!

Thanks to all who reviewed!

Till next time! Ja Ne!

Sorry, I accedentally deleted this, but it's back up now.


	3. AN

Kaliea: Just letting you all know I made a short follow up to this story called "And life goes on" Check it out! Arigato, ja ne!


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